I remember a time before the TV became prevalent, when we would follow matches listening to radio commentary. And a time when we would wait for our Dad to finish with the paper so we could dive for the sports section of the newspaper. Today, I find that our son is so way ahead of me in terms of what's happening in sports; not just outcomes of tournaments, but rather the business of sports including drafting, trading and other developments.
With streaming that follows one everyone everywhere on the one hand, and big screen TVs and home theaters on the other, it is quite easy to follow sports in a much more convenient and intimate way than ever before.
But at least in my subjective opinion, there is something about making the trek to the stadium, the course or the arena, about being with thousands of other spectators and occasionally take in an event in person to both create a 'peak experience' and re-connect vitally with that sport.
I thought I would create a Top 10 list of my favorite such visits to the 'arena.' Hope you enjoy this and share your own most memorable sporting events you have been to.
10. Boston Strong
I distinctly remember when I stopped watching TV news. It was when the Boston Marathon bombings happened in April of 2013. We were pretty shaken by the events of that day, and found the news from TV late, sensational and unreliable - when we especially needed it during the lockdown. I have literally not watched news on TV since then except on occasions like election night.
The marathon goes through our own town of Brookline. And it is a fun experience to walk down to Beacon street and cheer on the marathoners.
9. Row row row a boat ....
We have been in Boston for more than 10 years at this point. And in all these years, other than the fact that I have seen boats on the Charles River, had not paid particular attention to any major events in that regard.
Until that is, our son joined the crew team at High School. Then we got pulled into this whole world of crew that was so big, experience rich and deep in culture and tradition that it took me completely by surprise. The Head Of The Charles Regatta (HOTR) is a massive event. It is held in October and is the largest regatta in the world, with 11,000 athletes rowing in 1,900 boats. My son volunteers here and our friend Edward competes.
It is perfect Fall weather to stroll along the Charles and take in the many many boats going by.
8. Autograph please?
There is an annual celebrity golf tournament conducted in the summer in Lake Tahoe. We have been to Lake Tahoe as tourists in the past. Truly beautiful place.
For the past few years I have been invited to speak there and the golf tournament is held at the same time. Last year I was paired with Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback Alex Smith. The coach of that team was the former coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, a team that I follow. So it was fun chatting with Alex Smith about his experiences with Andy Reid as a coach. Confirmed most of the things we Philly fans liked about Reid's tenure with the Eagles.
7. Ace!
I have been to the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament in Flushing, NY a few times and have watched several exciting matches. But the match that sticks in my mind was when I made the trek to New Haven to watch Arantxa Sanches Vicario play Martina Navratilova. Martina was an amazing draw. She carried with her the legends of battles with Chris Evert in the years past and it was absolutely lovely to watch these two World #1s play each other. Gabriela Sabatini was also there at this tournament.
I am a member of a tennis club now that includes grass courts. It is a great game to play with tremendously exciting history to keep one engaged!
6. Green Monster
The very first year we came to Boston, I had the chance to go to a Red Sox baseball game and learn about the 'Green Monster.' We watched Big Papi play that evening and we were sitting literally right behind him. It was a great experience.
Years later when I was rewarded with 4 tickets to the game and went with a friend and our sons to the game not knowing quite where we were going to be. Imagine our surprise when we got front row seats on the green monster. It was truly fantastic to watch the game from that vantage.
And what do you know, a home run hit had the ball zooming right over our head!
5. King James
When I was in grad school in Philly, I watched Charles Barkley. He is a huge man! I have been to basket ball games off and on since then. But when the Cleveland Cavaliers came to town and my alumni group organized tickets, I jumped at the chance!
Lebron James has won the NBA Championships from two different cities and the Olympic Gold. He is a sight to behold. Big, fast and strategic.
I never took my eyes of him the entire game.
4. Two down, two to go!
My brother Kris and I went to both the Masters Golf tournament in 2007 and the U.S. Open Golf Championship in 2001 played at Southern Hills in Tulsa, OK.
I have been to the PGA tournament played in Boston and the one played in West Chester, NY prior to that every year for many years. So am quite used to the golf tournament experience and have regaled my friends with strategies on how best to enjoy it.
My father has accompanied me to tournaments a few times and so has my son.
But the Golf Majors take the experience to another level. The concentration of great players, the larger crowds, better amenities and of course stellar golf courses make it a genuinely memorable experience.
So we are two down and two more majors to go - The PGA and the British Open!
3. I'll take it
We are big Philadelphia Eagles fans in the family. And have experienced and carry the pain of the 2004 Super Bowl loss to the New England Patriots, which was already Tom Brady and Coach Bellichik's third championship win!
So when we moved to Boston two years later, it was not easy taking this emotionally. However, it has been 10 years and a LOT of football drama has happened. And finally, this year watching the Patriots win their fifth championship, I have fully absorbed the immensity of this pair's talent and achievements.
BUT ....
But, the Eagles visited the Patriorts last year in 2016. And my son and I hustled to get some exceptionally good seats - right at one of the end zones.
The meandering game exploded to life just as the first half was about to end. And riding on the back of Darren Sproles, the Eagles won the game.
I will absolutely take this win!
2. Wah, wah, Waugh
I have never actually attended a cricket test match or a one day international or the world cup. Remains on my bucket list.
But in 2001, I was in London for a conference and knew that the Australians were touring England. South of London there is an English village called Arundel. The Australians were having a warm up match with the MCC. So I took a train down to Arundel and watched the match.
It is a fantastic experience to watch a first class cricket match in an English village. It is everything one romanticizes it to be!
And the Australians were features the winningest captain Steve Waugh and one of the best spin bowlers of all time Shane Warne. It is said the Shane Warne turned both the ball and the turnstile!
It was genuinely worthwhile and memorable watching 'Warnie' deliver those amazing spins.
1. O Captain, My Captain
Walt Whitman composed O Captain, My Captain for President Lincoln. But my captain moment came when I got to spend an evening in a reception recently with Davis Love III who was the captain of the winning 2016 US Ryder Cup team that featured a fantastic tournament at the Hazeltine Golf Club in Minneapolis.
I had the opportunity to be at the tournament and watch the US team win. And later attend a reception with the Captain in Boston.
Davis Love was full of stories of what it took to be a captain of a golf team. When he and I had a chance to chat I told him about how Phil Mickelson's errant shot at the West Chester NY tournament nearly clocked my Dad. We laughed about that.
And then he told me about the winning Brookline Ryder cup team. Everyone was following Payne Stewart. The captain at that time Ben Crenshaw asked David Love to go follow Justin Leonard who was lagging behind. So Davis Love was the only player with Justin during the stretch at the back 9.
And of course it was Justin Leonard's legendary putt that won the tournament.
Being at the Ryder Cup and meeting the captain and sharing stories with him - that has to be my #1 sporting experience of all time!
With streaming that follows one everyone everywhere on the one hand, and big screen TVs and home theaters on the other, it is quite easy to follow sports in a much more convenient and intimate way than ever before.
But at least in my subjective opinion, there is something about making the trek to the stadium, the course or the arena, about being with thousands of other spectators and occasionally take in an event in person to both create a 'peak experience' and re-connect vitally with that sport.
I thought I would create a Top 10 list of my favorite such visits to the 'arena.' Hope you enjoy this and share your own most memorable sporting events you have been to.
10. Boston Strong
 |
| Beacon Street, Brookline |
The marathon goes through our own town of Brookline. And it is a fun experience to walk down to Beacon street and cheer on the marathoners.
9. Row row row a boat ....
Until that is, our son joined the crew team at High School. Then we got pulled into this whole world of crew that was so big, experience rich and deep in culture and tradition that it took me completely by surprise. The Head Of The Charles Regatta (HOTR) is a massive event. It is held in October and is the largest regatta in the world, with 11,000 athletes rowing in 1,900 boats. My son volunteers here and our friend Edward competes.
It is perfect Fall weather to stroll along the Charles and take in the many many boats going by.
8. Autograph please?
 |
| With Alex Smith |
For the past few years I have been invited to speak there and the golf tournament is held at the same time. Last year I was paired with Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback Alex Smith. The coach of that team was the former coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, a team that I follow. So it was fun chatting with Alex Smith about his experiences with Andy Reid as a coach. Confirmed most of the things we Philly fans liked about Reid's tenure with the Eagles.
7. Ace!
I am a member of a tennis club now that includes grass courts. It is a great game to play with tremendously exciting history to keep one engaged!
6. Green Monster
Years later when I was rewarded with 4 tickets to the game and went with a friend and our sons to the game not knowing quite where we were going to be. Imagine our surprise when we got front row seats on the green monster. It was truly fantastic to watch the game from that vantage.
And what do you know, a home run hit had the ball zooming right over our head!
5. King James
Lebron James has won the NBA Championships from two different cities and the Olympic Gold. He is a sight to behold. Big, fast and strategic.
I never took my eyes of him the entire game.
4. Two down, two to go!
 |
| Zach Johnson won in 2007 |
I have been to the PGA tournament played in Boston and the one played in West Chester, NY prior to that every year for many years. So am quite used to the golf tournament experience and have regaled my friends with strategies on how best to enjoy it.
My father has accompanied me to tournaments a few times and so has my son.
But the Golf Majors take the experience to another level. The concentration of great players, the larger crowds, better amenities and of course stellar golf courses make it a genuinely memorable experience.
So we are two down and two more majors to go - The PGA and the British Open!
3. I'll take it
 |
| Sproles!!!! |
So when we moved to Boston two years later, it was not easy taking this emotionally. However, it has been 10 years and a LOT of football drama has happened. And finally, this year watching the Patriots win their fifth championship, I have fully absorbed the immensity of this pair's talent and achievements.
BUT ....
But, the Eagles visited the Patriorts last year in 2016. And my son and I hustled to get some exceptionally good seats - right at one of the end zones.
The meandering game exploded to life just as the first half was about to end. And riding on the back of Darren Sproles, the Eagles won the game.
I will absolutely take this win!
2. Wah, wah, Waugh
But in 2001, I was in London for a conference and knew that the Australians were touring England. South of London there is an English village called Arundel. The Australians were having a warm up match with the MCC. So I took a train down to Arundel and watched the match.
It is a fantastic experience to watch a first class cricket match in an English village. It is everything one romanticizes it to be!
And the Australians were features the winningest captain Steve Waugh and one of the best spin bowlers of all time Shane Warne. It is said the Shane Warne turned both the ball and the turnstile!
It was genuinely worthwhile and memorable watching 'Warnie' deliver those amazing spins.
1. O Captain, My Captain
Walt Whitman composed O Captain, My Captain for President Lincoln. But my captain moment came when I got to spend an evening in a reception recently with Davis Love III who was the captain of the winning 2016 US Ryder Cup team that featured a fantastic tournament at the Hazeltine Golf Club in Minneapolis.
I had the opportunity to be at the tournament and watch the US team win. And later attend a reception with the Captain in Boston.
Davis Love was full of stories of what it took to be a captain of a golf team. When he and I had a chance to chat I told him about how Phil Mickelson's errant shot at the West Chester NY tournament nearly clocked my Dad. We laughed about that.
 |
| The 'errant shot' story |
And of course it was Justin Leonard's legendary putt that won the tournament.
Being at the Ryder Cup and meeting the captain and sharing stories with him - that has to be my #1 sporting experience of all time!
4 comments:
I was thinking of my own list after you note and came up with a few that would be slightly different….
· We followed the boats on Sydney – Hobart annual sailing race from Sydney harbor on boxing day a few years back and that was truly a unique experience.
· The starting lap (first turn) of an F-1 race! Nothing as exhilarating.
· Oklahoma – Nebraska college football game in Lincoln NE in the old big – 8
Very cool. I never knew you were such a big golf guy!
Have a great weekend
These are great!
I really like (personally), numbers 10 (Boston Strong as I ran that marathon on that day); number 7 - watching US Open over the years - I never had an appreciation for just how fast serves are until I saw it close and live - incredible that anyone can make a return!; number 5 - LeBron - as a player and in revitalizing Akron and Cleveland.
I'll add one more - after Joe DiMaggio died, Paul Simon in old Yankee Stadium in front of the classy Joe Torre era Yankees sang a simple tribute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRlRlS7uZDw
You forgot the Basket Ball tournament at PSG and the stands collapsing!
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